Desert Rose
by Yami no Ryu
Summary: On Jack and Daniel's anniversary, they take the time to remember another important event. One-shot, SLASH JD


"Desert Rose"

The afternoon sun shines brightly, red-tinted through opaque blinds. The crimson light stains everything it touches, washing the room in blood. The only occupant is oblivious to the sight, sitting curled in an armchair with a faint melody playing in the background.

A knock on the door startles him, making him drop the book his was reading. The knock comes again, this time with an accompanying shout of "Daniel! I know you're there!"

With a roll of his eyes, the archaeologist-slash-anthropologist-slash-linguist stands and walks over to the door. "Jack, you're early."

Jack looks indignant. "I can't be early to dinner?"

"I haven't even started cooking or getting ready or cleaning up or anything," Daniel replies. "Besides, you're never early."

"This is a special occasion," Jack says.

"Anniversary, I know," Daniel smiles, and lets Jack in. The older man steps in, closing the door behind himself. "A year already. It's kind of hard to believe."

Upon hearing the song, Jack smiles sadly. "Yes, but whose anniversary are we celebrating?"

Daniel wraps his arms around Jack's middle, burying his face into Jack's neck. "Ours," he says firmly, but Jack doesn't miss the small tremor.

"We can celebrate our anniversary another day," Jack tells him gently. "Tomorrow, or sometime next week after the mission."

Daniel shakes his head, still hidden. "No, Jack. It's okay. Really."

Jack kisses Daniel's head. "Y'know, in retrospect, maybe getting together on her deathday wasn't the brightest of ideas."

"They say hindsight is 20/20," Daniel murmurs. "Don't worry. I won't let it ruin our night."

Jack stepped back, away from Daniel. "Danny, it's not wrong to mourn Sha're," he says solemnly.

"I know, but…" Daniel removes his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "I've mourned today. Right now, I want to celebrate. She would want me to be happy."

"All right," Jack says softly. He stoops and kisses his lover gently, and Daniel presses against him. After a moment, they part, and Jack starts eagerly, "What's for dinner?"

"I was thinking of this Abydonian dish I learned to make," Daniel replies, walking to the kitchen, Jack hot on his heals.

Jack makes a face, remembering his first meal on Abydos. "Ah, it looks…normal, right?"

Daniel laughs, knowing what Jack's referring to. "It was perfectly edible then, it'll be perfectly edible now."

Jack stops dead. "Waitwaitwait. You're actually _making_ that!"

"Or a reasonable facsimile," Daniel adds over his shoulder.

"Daniel…"

Daniel turns twinkling blue eyes to Jack. "I'm joking, love."

Jack straightens. "I knew that."

Daniel only raises an eyebrow before going all the way into the kitchen. "It's a different recipe. One I can actually imitate with the spices and stuff on earth."

"Oh. That's good," Jack hazards. Daniel gives a noncommittal shrug.

"Sha're liked it."

After dinner—which was delicious, Jack has to give Daniel credit for that—Jack goes over to the radio/CD player. He presses the play button, and again the song begins to sweep through the apartment.

_I dream of rain  
I dream of gardens in the desert sand  
I wake in vain  
I dream of love as time runs through my hand_

Daniel closes his eyes. Jack walks over to him, leading him over to the couch and then cuddling the younger man against his side. Daniel snuggles closer to Jack, grasping Jack's shirt in a tight fist.

"You miss her," Jack says tenderly. Daniel gives a small nod. There is silence for a moment, then—

"And now he turns," Jack sings softly with the music. His deep voice blends nicely with the singer's, and Daniel almost doesn't notice that he altered the lyrics slightly. "This way he moves in the logic of all my dreams/This fire burns/I realize that nothing's as it seems…"

"I dream of rain," Daniel continues in a whisper, "I dream of gardens in the desert sand/I wake in vain/I dream of love as time runs through my hand…"

They listen to the remainder of the song, and again and again as it repeats. Slowly, tears slip down Daniel's cheeks. Jack allows him to cry, simply holding him and soothing him with his solid presence.

"I miss her so much, Jack," Daniel whimpers.

"I know."

"I remember," Daniel says haltingly, sniffling, "the way she looked when we first found them. She was so quiet and shy and beautiful."

Jack was silent.

"This song always reminds me of her," Daniel says after a moment.

"I know," Jack responds. He kisses the younger man, slowly and tenderly, lovingly, deeply and passionately. Once they break for air, Jack murmurs, "This song reminds me of _you_."

"Jack—" Daniel's voice breaks with emotion, and Jack holds him tighter.

Again, Jack says, "I know."

And that's enough.


End file.
